Wimbledon—Grand Slam tournaments are more than a showcase of the best tennis talent. More than a large swath of earth divided into 20 modern day battlegrounds called courts. More than a hotbed of individual stories of blood, sweat, tears, tragedies and triumphs. Amid the drama and behind the scenes is what may seem drab in comparison: A business conference for tennis industry insiders.

Major tournaments are where deals are pitched, accepted or declined; news, good or bad, is broken; relationships are created or dashed; and all are left ragged yet uplifted. Two weeks of tennis business is carried out, wherever possible—in the stands, in meeting rooms, in a taxi, on the Tube, during meals and over drinks. A Grand Slam tournament is a breeding ground for networking, catching up and sprouting business opportunities.

Many developments formed over the fortnight, like racquet endorsements, will surface in the days immediately after the tournament, but some off-court VIPs offered updates on their endeavors. What follows has nothing to do with the matches at the All England Club, but everything to do with the growth of tennis on a global scale.

Here is a round-up of news directly from diverse sources in town for this industry conference of sorts.

Africa: "I'm actually writing an article on the drought in Africa," says Godwin Kienka. As editor of Tennis Africa magazine, he's referring to the tennis scene, not the climate. "It's a very worrying situation in Africa right now. You don't know whether to blame the federation, the government, the sponsors or the players."
     Since South Africans Amanda Coetzer and Wayne Ferreira reached their peaks by breaking the Top 10 rankings in the late 1990s and exciting wins posted by Morrocans Younes El Aynaoui and Hicham Arazi in recent years, the African delegation has fallen off a bit. The number of tournaments hosted on the continent also has decreased in recent years to 10 to 12 Satellite events and two or three Challengers.
     But Kienka isn't a bystander, he's involved in promoting the sport through the magazine and developing the next generation of professionals from his continent. Three years ago, the International Tennis Academy (ITA), which owns the magazine, started a competitive circuit to provide a path of development for youngsters. The ITA/NNPC Junior Tennis Circuit features six tournaments for four age groups (10, 12, 14, and 16). Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) sponsors the effort.
     Other strides are South African Airways' sponsorship of a junior tournament and the development of a new tennis center in an area that Kienka characterizes as the Harlem neighborhood of Soweto.
     "Hopefully this trend will be reversed in six or seven years. We're hoping that in four years we'll start seeing results," says Kienka, adding that the magazine is an important part of portraying tennis as a means to success. "We try to let them know how much money is in professional tennis. Maybe they think it is not 'attainable,' that is 'for white people' only. We need to remove that mental block."
     Kienka's work will surely pay off—producing pros off the junior circuit and influencing readers of the magazine. "Maybe when they see this article [to be published on TennisAfrica.com]—this situation we are in—they will wake up," he says on his way back to his desk in the Wimbledon press room.

United Arab Emirates: Sinead Elsibari, marketing chief for the Dubai Duty Free Open, says, "We were voted tournament of the year again (ATP International Group, 2006). The players love it." Why?
     "We were the first tournament to look after the players very well. People think we throw a lot of money around, but that's not so—we are accountable for every penny," says Irish native Elsebari, whose idea to stage a photo shoot of Andre Agassi and Roger Federer playing on top of a towering helipad resulted in major coverage [see it on YouTube]. "The tournament started in 1993. It's taken time to get the tournament where it is, but we invest in things for the long-term. Everything is geared toward improving Dubai."

Turkey: The women's season-ending tournament, the Sony Ericsson Championships, is moving to Istanbul for the 2011-2013 staging of the event, now held in Madrid. The official announcement is set to be made on Friday, July 6th, by Sony Ericsson WTA Tour staff Larry Scott (Chairman and CEO) and Stacy Allaster (President); Mary Pierce, who will be representing the players; and the following Turkish tennis representatives:
     Mehmet Atalay, General Director for Youth & Sport, Turkey
     Ergul Gungor, Deputy Governor of Istanbul
     Azmi Kumova, President of the Turkish Tennis Federation
     Cosjun Erhinder, General Manager of the Istanbul Cup
     Cahit Yavuz, Media Director of the Istanbul Cup
UPDATE: The $42 million deal features equal prize money ($4.5 million) to the ATP season-ending championships. Click here for press release.

Australia: Craig Tiley, tournament director of the Australian Open, says a $200 million expansion plan for Melbourne Park is under way and eventually will feature five covered courts, which will make it the Grand Slam event most impervious to weather interruptions.
     Melbourne is known as a place that can see "four seasons in a day," ranging from extreme dry heat to windy rains. The current heat safety policy calls for suspending play when temperatures reach 104F/40C, which is an occasion for the mechanized roof to close over Rod Laver Arena. 
     The surface of the courts are also getting a makeover. With the recent announcement that the tournament is trading the DecoTurf surface for Plexicushion, lead-up events are seeking to switch, too. Plexicushion is said to provide better heat tolerance, cushioning and consistency. 
     Tiley reports also that the 2008 tournament will increase staff to 4,000, representing its largest team ever, to further its service to fans and players. The Australian Open has long been regarded as providing exceptional service amid what many consider the most relaxed and comfortable major.

China: Kitty Hu of Sports Illustrated China reports that participation is growing, but is concentrated in the big cities. The elevation of the China Open in Beijing to "Crown Jewel" status on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour—as well as the tour's opening of a regional office in that city—should do a great deal toward producing Chinese champions. Click here for the full story.

World: Dave Miley, who heads Development for the International Tennis Federation, is likely the sport's top salesman. His $4 million budget is spent educating coaches, establishing pro tournaments, improving the technical side of the game (testing racquet and ball speeds, the Hawk-Eye line-calling system, and more), providing grants to upgrade or build facilities, and get equipment into the hands of kids who want to play. His team's latest project, "Tennis…Play and Stay" is a brilliantly simple concept (get beginners to have fun and succeed quick) as a means to achieve a lofty goal (increase the number of players worldwide).
     "We've spent four years building what I think is a great program," says Miley. "And now we're going to get out and promote the heck out of it."
     Roger Federer and Justine Henin are among the players who have filmed promotional videos for the program, which is supported by ITF member nations, the pro tours, governing bodies and manufacturers. "Serve, rally, score!" is the battle cry of the program, which scales the court size and uses balls of differing pressures to help new players have fun—quickly. Once they are hooked on tennis, they can hone technique and move up the graded scale to a full court with fully pressurized balls.
     While Wimbledon was being contested, 200 coaches in Portugal were trained on "Tennis...Play and Stay." Australian coaches will be introduced to the program during the Australian Open in January 2008.
     Click here for the full story.